Death and Mourning

Death and Mourning

We encourage all members of our community to reach out for support when facing illness and loss, in turn allowing us the privilege of supporting you. During times of personal difficulty, its quite normal to feel that you don’t want to be a burden on others or that there is nothing anyone can do. But to be a community means that we share life together – all aspects of life, including death, and the slow and painful path back to life, in the aftermath of the death of dear ones.

The In Times of Need Bereavement booklet has been prepared for members of the Temple Beth Zion community who are experiencing illness in their family or the death of a loved one, as well as for members who would like help supporting others in their time of need. Our aim is to make the Jewish laws and rituals easily accessible to you so that you may turn them into personal, spiritual sources of strength and comfort.

This is a guidebook, a pragmatic compilation of sources and information on dealing with life’s difficulties. It is a “how-to,” hands on manual concentrating on illness, chronic care, death, and mourning. If there is one message that we wish to convey, it is that we encourage all members of our community to reach out for support, in turn allowing us the privilege of supporting you. During times of personal difficulty, its quite normal to feel that you don’t want to be a burden on others or that there is nothing anyone can do. But in fact to be a community means that we share life together – all aspects of life.

If you are experiencing illness in your family or the death of a loved one, the first step in getting support is to call the synagogue office and leave us a message with instructions on how to reach you. Feel free to ask friends and family to call on your behalf. And if you are a member of the congregation who knows of an illness, it is important to bring it to the attention of our community. Remember, tradition has the uncanny ability to provide emotional and practical support throughout all stages of life, we are here for you.